Maria Arnal, a rocket straight to the top of modern folklore on the stage that already saw Rosalía grow

On the second day of Sónar, back in 2018, Rosalía unleashed El Mal Querer on stage , the album that changed everything. For her and for everyone. On the second day, this year, Maria Arnal left behind her career with Marcel Bagés. Something remains of that girl, but the musical project is different. The Catalan singer wants to join that roster of modern folk singers led by Rosalía herself and which also includes Judeline .

And the fastest way to achieve this is to ride the wave of electronic pop, the fusion of folk and electro that resonates in thousands of projects. Ama , Maria Arnal's new work presented yesterday at Sónar, is nothing more and nothing less. The influence of the Rosalía phenomenon can be seen in the sounds, the choreography, and, without needing to force it, even in the styling. The little buns on the sides, the endless hair clips. Everything resonates with something already familiar to which the Catalan singer has infused her essence with the intention of finding a place among the pop elite. With the base exploding and the Autotune at its maximum.

The first thing the singer did on stage was make it clear that something had changed. Now she was "alone, alone, alone." She sang it as the chorus of one of her new songs. "Que me quiten " sounded almost like a copla, and the Catalan singer's powerful voice reverberated throughout the room, which, like everyone else, couldn't stop thinking they were watching a reincarnation of Rosalía herself. "Suspiros" and "Tic Tac" are going straight to becoming hits for kids to dance to in Tik Tok videos , replicating the choreography that Maria Arnal displayed accompanied by a group of five dancers during the hour she was on stage. "Esquinitas" was presented as that catchy dance hit for all the clubs. And "Xiqueta Meua" left a showcase of the singer's own voice accompanied by La Tania and a preview of what Sónar will bring today: Yerai Cortés on guitar. Pure emotion in the ballad. One of those that takes your breath away.

The Catalan artist's performance began and ended, however, with a political message, the same one contained in her previous works. Before she appeared, a message on the screens warned: " We strongly condemn the genocide that the Israeli government inflicts on the Palestinian people and reaffirm our unwavering solidarity ." Along with a criticism of KKR , the investment fund with ties to the Israeli government and owner of Sónar. Halfway through the show, the artist joined in with a "Long live free Palestine" chant from the audience. And, to close, she had a banner raised from the audience, held by her and her dance troupe, with the inscription "Free Palestine."

Sónar had already threatened with Chano Domínguez and Bronquio that flamenco would be very present in this edition. And Niño de Elche and Raül Refree were there this Friday to confirm it. If that performance can even be classified as flamenco. Cru+es' performance began with the sound of a lullaby, but it ended blurred between the impetus of the keyboard and the producer's electronic bassline . At some point during the hour they were both on stage, part of a song could also be heard, and Niño launched into flamenco singing for a few seconds while Refree accompanied him on an acoustic guitar. But nothing could be classified in the union of two explorers of the depths of music like them.

Because the intention of both of them, unclassifiable like few others, was to immerse themselves precisely in traditional Spanish music, ultimately deforming it to the point of making it almost unrecognizable. Just as they were on stage, where their faces could barely be seen for a few seconds, enveloped in an electric blue light that constantly reverberated and was only replaced at some point by a white spotlight. A proposal designed by Galician Marta Pazos, who was in charge of the stage design. For anyone who had seen their version of Joan of Arc in Nave 10 of Matadero Madrid at the beginning of this season, the idea was the same: that the figures would evaporate, leaving only the music, the voice of the Niño de Elche, and an experience close to the mystical, the religious.

The evening had been British up to that point. First, with veteran Adrian Sherwood, an icon of the dub sound since the 1980s, dressed in a T-shirt in the colors of the Palestinian flag. It was during his set that the music producer, also known as "The Chase The Devil," decided to pay tribute to reggae icon Max Romeo, with the lyrics of "Chase The Devil" interspersed among his electronic beats. Meanwhile, the visuals featured images of the Jamaican, who passed away last April at the age of 81. A large portion of the show was dedicated to the music of that country, to which Sherwood has always been deeply attached.

Almost simultaneously, on another stage, reminiscent of a concatenation of historic electronic acts from the islands, Plaid Live performed. The duo formed by Ed Handley and Andy Turner, who have always distinguished themselves by combining pure experimentalism with melancholic melodies, performed. Yesterday, they took a while to get going; the first part of the session unfolded between the darkness of a heavily saturated base and a jovial melody, like a spring afternoon when the sun begins to shine. It was the second part of their set that delved into what the duo has always been about: dance music to move the body, but above all, to get the brain working.

The show prepared by Alva Notto and Fennesz also included tributes, such as the Sherwood. The German and the Austrian decided to join forces at this year's Sónar to remember their friend, the Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in 2023.

And, as had already happened with Maria Arnal, political discourse was present in Teto Preto's disruptive appearance. The Brazilian band stated that they had decided to attend Sónar to "denounce those who are financing the genocide" being carried out in Gaza by Israel and also so that their music could serve as a protest against the investment fund, KKR, the festival's owner, who also held it responsible for the fund's contacts with the Netanyahu government. They performed to the rhythm of samba, brega, funk, house, and dubstep, although if there's one thing they are, it's punk. All at the same time. With percussion and trombone playing alongside synthesizers. And their singer, Angela Carneosso, showing off her breasts, buttocks, and vagina during her appearance on stage.